


Bucky's Universe

by melishade (orphan_account)



Category: Captain America, MCU, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Steven Universe - Fandom
Genre: Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-10
Updated: 2016-12-24
Packaged: 2018-07-22 18:32:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,610
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7449724
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/melishade
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"This is…uh…," the boy trailed off as he looked up at him, "What's your name, sir?"</p><p>"It's-" It's not Bucky. It's not Bucky. He's not Bucky. He's-</p><p>"James," he answered.</p><p>"Hi, James," the boy smiled as he held out his hand, his left one thankfully, "I'm Steven. Steven Universe."</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Beach City

**Author's Note:**

> So I've wanting to do this for a while and I may continue it depending on how much support I get. Please leave a comment, kudos it, or bookmark it and enjoy.

The Winter Soldier knew something was wrong.

When he was punching his mission, when he was trying to kill him on that helicarrier. Something felt wrong. He tried to ignore it, tried to knock him out or kill him, but when he tried, something tugged at the back of his brain. Why was it hurting? It wasn't suppose to hurt to attack this man, but it was.

The helicarrier was crashing around him as his mission. He kept punching his mission, but he said to him weakly:

"I'm with you til the end of the line."

He stopped. Something inside of him was screaming at him to stop. Stop hurting the man…Captain America?…Steve?

The soldier held onto the helicarrier as his mission fell into the water. This wasn't right. This was all wrong. He had to save him. He had to save him!

The soldier jumped in after him. Dived into the water and grabbed his mission, saved him from drowning. He dragged him out of the water and dropped him on the shore. He was breathing, but why was he checking to see if he was still breathing?

The soldier heard a helicopter flying towards him. He had to go. He couldn't get caught. He wouldn't get caught by Hydra? Shield?

He couldn't trust anyone. Not until he could get this shit sorted out in his head.  
\--------------------------------------------

Three Months Later

James has been running. For three months, he's been running away. Staying from one place to the next. He's been traveling north, away from DC. He went to the Smithsonian after the helicarrier fell. He wanted to know if what his mis-no. He wanted to know if what Steve Rogers said about him was true. It was true. He used to be a hero. He was friends with Steve. He was James Buchannan Barnes.

It didn't feel like it.

He didn't feel like he was James Barnes, or Bucky for that matter. Bucky protected the innocent. He killed innocent people. He's not going to be the man that Steve most likely wants him to be.

And he never will be.

James stopped walking on the street and saw a sign that said "Welcome to Beach City."

Beach City? James simply walked down the road. He was heading into town, so he had to be careful.

James stopped walking as he noticed something in the fields. He left the road and walked towards the source. When close enough, James realized that the object was an abandoned barn. James walked over to the front and pushed the door open. James was rather surprised to see so many items and spare parts lying around. He shuffled through the items and was baffled to see the stuff there. Tires? A basketball? Boxes? A jet engine? James kept rummaging through the stuff and even found a bowling ball and a picture of two pilots on the wall.

The soldier looked around the barn and noticed the upper floor had more room. James climbed the ladder and saw that there was more room up there. James set his bag down and sat down in a corner by the window. He's been traveling for a while and he needed rest.

\------------------------------------------------------------

James jolted awake from a nightmare. He was the winter soldier again. The chair…the order to wipe him…

James shook his head before hearing his stomach growling. He needed to eat. He needed to go into town and get something. He climbed down the ladder and opened the door to the outside, figuring it would be best to leave his bag in doors and taking a couple of dollars.

He walked over to a cliff side and saw the view before him. It was a small town with a beach and a giant cliff with a lighthouse on top. The water, the bright sun. It was actually rather…beautiful. He adjusted his baseball cap before walking even further.  
\-----------------------------------------------------------------------

"Hey, Amethyst!" a boy called out from the kitchen, "Do want me to get some donuts for you?"

"Nah, I'm good," the purple gem shrugged with her mouth full of food, "I got what I needed. Heading to my room."

The boy watched Amethyst walk into her room as the door automatically opened. The boy shrugged before grabbed five bucks and walking out of his house.

\------------------------------------------------------------------

James continued walking down the street as he studied the people around him. He saw a couple of teenagers driving around in a pizza vehicle, a middle aged man washing a car, a boy managing the stands of a fast food shop.

James pulled out the change that he had. He only had two dollars in change. He probably wouldn't be able to get fries. Find something cheaper to get.

James turned a corner and saw a building with a giant sign on it that said 'The Big Donut'. And it actually had a big donut.

James wasn't able to remember the last time he had a donut. Did the 1940s make donuts? When was the last time he had something sweet?

James didn't know he was still walking until he hit bumped into someone. James looked down to see a child rubbing his head a little before he looked up at him.

"Sorry," the boy openly apologized, "Are you okay?"

James merely stared. "I'm fine."

The boy smiled. "Oh, good. Are you going to by a donut too?"  
James was about to respond, but his stomach grumbled first. James ducked his head, baseball cap covering his eyes in embarrassment as the boy chuckled.

"Well, The Big Donut's got the best donuts in beach city!" he smiled enthusiastically, "C'mon!"

The boy opened the door and gestured for him to come inside. James hesitated, not wanting to interact with other people, but his stomach ruled out once again.

James walked through the open door as he followed the boy inside. The boy waved at the blonde cashier as she gave a small smile.

"Who's your friend?" the cashier asked.

"This is…uh…," the boy trailed off as he looked up at him, "What's your name, sir?"

"It's-" It's not Bucky. It's not Bucky. He's not Bucky. He's-

"James," he answered.

"Hi, James," the boy smiled as he held out his hand, his left one thankfully, "I'm Steven. Steven Universe."

James slowly shook Steven's hand, causing the boy to smile. Steven…Steven…Steve. James shook his head. Focus.

"So what kind of donut do you want?" Steven asked, "There's glaze, sprinkled, chocolate, cinnamon, jelly."

"There's…so many," James muttered. There were so many that he could choose from, and it was only from one thing?

"Yeah!" Steven answered, "You can even get tiny donut holes!"

"I think I'll just have a glazed donut," James told the cashier.

"Sure," she smiled before grabbing the tongs and placing them in a bag, "What do you want, Steven?"

"I'll have a chocolate sprinkled, Sadie," Steven answered.

"'Kay," Sadie said as she placed the chocolate sprinkles in a separate bag, "That'll be $1.29 for you Steven and $1.00 for you, James."

James was about to pull out his two dollars, but Steven put a hand on his left arm, causing him to tense.

"Don't worry," Steven smiled as he pulled out his five dollars, "The donuts are on me."

Steven placed the five on the counter while James looked at the child. He seemed very chirper. It was a little too much for him.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Steven took a bite out of his donut as he swung his feet over the docks. James was sitting next to him, since the boy insisted that they go to the docks to relax. He looked at his reflection, but didn't really bother with his donut.

Steven swallowed and noticed that James wasn't eating. "What's wrong? You aren't eating."

James looked down at his donut, clearly unsure if he should really try it. What if it wasn't good? What if he wasted the kid's money?

"Do you not like donuts?" Steven asked, "If not we could get you something else."

"It's fine," James insisted, "I just…haven't had this in such a long time."

"WHAT?!" Steven exclaimed, "Donuts are the best thing ever! Well, next to cookie cat. But it's not going to hurt if you try it. It's good; I promise."

James looked down before taking a bite out of his donut. He wasn't expecting the taste of it. It was soft and sweet. Too sweet. The taste was too much for his mouth that he put his gloved hand over it. Steven saw his distressed expression and put a hand on his knee.

"You okay?" Steven asked, "Is it really that bad?! I'm sorry-"

"It's fine," James spoke as he swallowed, "It's just really sweet."

"I could get you something else to eat," Steven insisted, "There's a place that sell fries."

James looked at him and saw that his eyes were full of concern. Like Steve…but small and skinner?

"You don't have to," James shook his head, "I'll be fine; I'll get used to the taste."

"Um…okay," Steven said before feeling something buzz in his pocket. He took out his phone and saw the Caller ID, "I gotta go home, James. But if there's anything you need, or you want me to pay you back again, I live over there,"

James saw Steven pointing to the bottom of the cliff. "Okay."

"Okay, bye James," Steven waved as he walked down the docks. James looked down at his donut once again before taking another bite. It was still sweet, but not as bad as before. Hydra never gave him this kind of food. All they wanted out of him was for him to be fit, and sweets were out of the picture.

"JAMES!" he heard Steven shout. He looked up to see Steven pointing down a corner before he continued walking.

James gave a small wave before getting up and walking down the docks. That kid was too happy, but…he guessed donuts weren't so bad.

\------------------------------------

“I’m here!” Steven announced as he opened the door and ran to the warp pad to three other women.

“Steven, where were you?” a thin woman with a pearl on her forehead.

“I went to the donut shop and met someone named James!” Steven answered as he hopped on the warp pad.

“Is James new to Beach City?” The tallest of the three asked.

“I think so,” Steven answered as they warped to their mission.


	2. Tour

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven gives Bucky a tour of Beach City.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I guess I'll continue with this story. By the way, this takes place a little before Jasper and Peridot come to Earth with the giant hand ship. This is going to be a challenge for me because I am going to be tackling Bucky's mental illnesses such as depression and PTSD. Any suggestions regarding how people that have these disease cope and would react, especially in Bucky's case would help.
> 
> So none of these characters belong to me and please comment.

James began rummaging through the items within the barn, trying to see if he can piece together some memories with some items that he might've seen before. He picked up the bowling ball. That didn't spark any memories. Jet engine? He remembered kicking someone in one. That didn't help…or make him feel better.

Tennis racket? Cardboard boxes? Cones? Nothing was working!

James looked up at the picture hanging on the wall before walking over the items and taking it down. He looked at the two pilots and their outfits. Their outfits looked familiar like…World War II pilots.

James clutched his head in pain and dropped the picture as flashes of an old life came to him. The train? The Captain? Zola? Sergeant James Barnes 37-35-45? Why couldn't he remember the numbers right?

James grabbed his bag and rummaged through it before pulling out a dog tag necklace that said his name and his identification number. 32557038. 32557038. He kept shaking and repeating it over and over again until he completely calmed down. James placed the dog tags back in his bag before taking out the donut that the kid bought for him. He didn't finish it; he wanted to save it for later. He had to ration his food. He didn't have enough money and knew he couldn't eat too much. Eating too much actually gave him stomach aches because he was always malnourished under Hydra.

James decided that he should lay a map out of the town. In case if he was found here, he needed to find all of his escape routes.  
\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Steven played his ukulele down the boardwalk of the beach. Today was rather slow for the Crystal Gems, so he thought taking it easy and playing around the city would help. It also made him feel a lot better.

"I'll always come back for you, my other half," Steven sang before he stopped, "Maybe. But what would go with that?"

Steven continued playing before noticing someone looking through the arcade. He smiled as he noticed it was the man he met before.

"James!" Steven called out.

Steven noticed the man stiffen before turning to see him. Steven ran towards him as he covered his face with the baseball cap.

"Hey, James!" Steven greeted, "How was the donut? Did you like it?"

"'s fine." James mumbled.

Steven chuckled. "So what are you doing in the arcade?"

James looked inside before looking back at Steven. "I don't really know much about Beach City. I thought I'd look."

"I could give you a tour," Steven suggested.

"You don't have to," James said, subtly moving away from him.

"It's okay, I don't have an issue with it," Steven said, "It'll be quick since the town is pretty small."

James hesitated. He shouldn't associate with others. He would get caught, but the kid didn't seem to know. He was too young and too naïve.

"Please make it quick," James quietly pleaded.

Steven smiled and James swore he saw stars form in his eyes. He was going to regret this.  
\--------------------------------------------------------------

"So my dad work at this car wash," Steven explained as he gestured to the white building, "He likes writing music too. We already went to the Big Donut and you saw the arcade. What other places?"

James watched as Steven tapped his finger on his chin as he noticed his shirt move upward. The soldier raised an eyebrow as he saw a rose quartz where his belly button is suppose to be.

"Let's go to the pizza place!" Steven suggested.  
\----------------------------------------------------------

"This is the Fish Stew Pizza," Steven pointed out, "The entire business is run by the Pizza's. Pizza is the family's last name! And right next to it is the Beach Citywalk Fries!"

"I don't remember the last time I had pizza," James admitted.

Steven looked at James like he was insane. "I need to introduce you to new things. Do you remember seeing a movie?"

James merely nodded his head. Wait, when did he see a movie? How the hell did he know what that was?

"So there's the amusement park and the lighthouse," Steven said, "Which one do you want to go to?"

"I don't want to go to the amusement park," James answered, "Too much noise."

Steven smiled. "Lighthouse it is."  
\-----------------------------------------------

"So this is Beach City's Lighthouse," Steven gestured as they made it to the top of the hill, "Ronaldo lives up here and does research on the supernatural. I don't know if he's there now. Pearl added a fence because Amethyst fell from here and cracked her gem. On the plus side, you get a really nice view of the city."

Steven looked down at the city while James was keeping track of the names and locations of this place. Small town, so word would get around that he's here. Taking a boat may not be a good idea. He'll be able to navigate it and it might run out of gas. And someone might be able to catch his face. But something didn't sit well with him. Amethyst cracked her gem? What did he even mean by that?

"James?" Steven spoke, "James?"

James snapped out of his thoughts and looked down at Steven. "I'm fine."

"You sure?" Steven pressed.

"Yes," James slightly hissed.

James noticed Steven pained expression and immediately felt guilty. "Sorry. I'm…not really good with people."

Steven smiled, allowing James a small amount of relief. But why did he feel relief?

"You wanna come over to my house?" Steven asked.  
\----------------------------------------------------------------

You know what James expected: a simple house, or maybe an apartment. Sure he got that house, but along with that house was a giant woman engraved in the cliff side with six? eight arms?

What the hell? How did Hydra not notice that this was here, or at the very least think something like this was suspicious?

"You live in the house, right?" James asked Steven.

"Yep," Steven answered, "Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl live in the temple."

"Are they your caretakers?" James asked.

"I consider them my moms," Steven shrugged.

James looked back at the temple and noticed that the woman had gems on her as well. Two on her hands, one on her head, chest, and belly button.

Like Steven? What the hell was Steven?

"So what do you want to do now?" Steven asked, "We saw all of Beach City."

James shrugged.

"Wanna sit on the beach?" Steven asked.

James looked over at the calm water before turning to Steven. "Okay."

James sat down and Steven sat on his right side. The wind softly blew in the wind as the water almost touch their feet.

"So what brings you to Beach City?" Steven asked.

"I…wanted to go someplace quiet," James answered.

"But where are you staying?" Steven asked.

"…Somewhere outside the city," James answered.

"Well…," Steven trailed off, "Do you like Beach City so far?"

"It's not so bad," James admitted. It was rather quiet and not too many people were here, "Steven, how long have you been living in the temple?"

"Since I was six," Steven answered, "My dad took care of me when I was a baby, then I wanted to live with the gems. So my dad built the house by the temple."

James looked back at the temple. "How long have your caretakers been living here?"

Steven shrugged. "Since forever, I guess. I think Pearl mentioned that they've been here for about 5,000 years."

5,000 years? How the hell did Hydra not pick this up? Matter-of-fact, how did any government not pick this up?

"They've been here for that long?" James asked as he turned towards Steven.

"Yeah!" Steven smiled, "We go on missions and we help protect the Earth!"

James was about to respond, but something flashed through his mind. Old memories of a skinner male getting beaten up. He went to save him, but the male kept on doing it again and again.

"I don't like bullies, Buck. You know that."

Stop it. Stop it. Stop it. Stop it!

"Got cha'!" a voice yelled from behind as the person grabbed him by the shoulders. James quickly reacted by grabbing the arms of the person and throwing her in the water. The person yelled and fell in the water with a loud splash.

"Amethyst!" Steven cried out as he ran in the water.

James stood up as the person he threw stood up and shook the water out her white hair. She spit the water out of her mouth before looking at James. The first thing he noticed was her purple skin.

The second was the gem on her chest.

"Dude," she demanded.

"Don't touch me," James warned.

"Amethyst, are you okay?!" Steven asked with concern.

"I'm fine," Amethyst answered before looking at James, "What's your deal?"

James stared at Amethyst before seeing Steven's concerned face. The hell was he thinking?! He shouldn't be making friends with others. He a killing machine. James took small steps back before turning around and walking away.

"James!" Steven called out, but the soldier didn't listen as he turned the corner.

"That was James?" Amethyst raised an eyebrow, "Not exactly what I expected."

"Yeah...but you shouldn't have scared him like that," Steven retorted.

"Well he shouldn't have thrown me in the water," Amethyst countered.

Steven thought about James' distressed expression before Amethyst tackled him. He noticed that same reaction earlier when they were at the lighthouse. Something was wrong with James; he wasn't feeling well.

But he didn't know why.


	3. Gifts

James decided to sleep for the moment. It was the afternoon, but he wasn't able to get sleep during the night. There were…too many nightmares. James clutched his side, mainly his left arm. He wished…he wished that all of this would just stop. He would really enjoy the silence.

James was ready to fall into his nightmarish slumber, but his eyes snapped open as he heard a strange noise from outside of the barn. James backed into the wall of the barn and peeked through the hole to see....

Steven riding a pink lion?!  
\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Thanks Lion," Steven said as he jumped off of Lion's back, "James said that he lived somewhere outside of Beach City. The barn might be a good place to look."

Steven walked inside the barn with Lion following and called out for James.

"James!" Steven yelled, "Jamesss! Anyone home!"

Steven didn't get a response, causing him to sigh in sadness. "Guess he's not here."

Lion huffed in response before resting his chin on Steven's head. 

"He might come back," Steven spoke, "I know!"

Steven put his hand in Lion's mane and pulled out a small brown bag before setting it on the floor. "Hopefully he likes turkey. Let's go Lion."

Steven hopped on Lion's back before the animal wrapped him back to the temple.

James jumped down from the second floor of the barn before looking back outside. What the hell was up with Steven? He looked down at the bag before giving it a small kick. Well it didn't feel like there were obvious metal objects. He unwrapped the brown bag and pulled out a…sandwich?

James was confused. This kid went out of his way to make him something to eat. The soldier shook his head. It could be poisoned. There could be some in there that could kill him.

James separated the sandwich to find there was only turkey, cheese, and mayonnaise. It didn't look like it was tampered with, but should he really risk it? James heard his stomach growl again and cursed. Damn his stupid stomach.

James took a bite of the sandwich before chewing. He paused before looking at it. Wow, this was really good.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Steven came back the next day on Lion. He thought he might get the sandwich he left for James because he assumed that he may not have come back to the barn.

When he stepped inside, he saw that the bag was gone and that there was a note on the floor instead. Steven picked up and read it. He smiled as bright as the sun when he saw the note said 'thank you.'

"LION!" Steven called out with joy as he ran to his companion.

\------------------------------------------------------------------

James saw him coming in more often for the next week. He kept on bringing him sandwiches for him. Sometimes they were the same, other times they were different. He didn't show his face to Steven; he only watched as he came in and out of the barn to leave him something.

James watched as he came into the barn again. This time with a blanket and pillow.

"James has been coming back here for the food I've been bringing," Steven spoke to Lion, "I don't think he has any bedding, so maybe bringing him some might help him during the night."

Lion merely huffed in response.

"He's not a gem," Steven retorted, "At least I don't think so,"

Steven placed the blanket on the floor, neatly folded. He was about to place the pillow, but suddenly heard a 'thump' next to him. Steven looked up to see James staring down at him.

Steven smiled as he stood up. "James!"

"Steven, why are you here?" James bluntly asked.

"Oh, um," Steven began, "You said that you lived nearby Beach City, so I thought you lived in the barn. It belonged to my dad's relatives and it has a bunch of stuff, so I thought you might've used it."

'This place…belongs to someone?' James thought.

"Oh, but you can stay here that's totally fine," Steven reassured as he noticed James' uneasy expression, "No one really uses it and my dad lives in his van."

James suddenly felt a nudge behind him and turned around to see Steven's Lion staring at him.

"His name is Lion," Steven smiled, "I found him in the desert. Well, he found me."

"And it hasn't harmed anyone?" James asked.

Steven shook his head with a smile. "He loves Lion Lickers, and lizards."

James raised a eyebrow at that.

"I thought you'd be cold at night so I brought a blanket and pillow," Steven said as he picked up the items, "I mean it probably gets cold at night, and I don't know if you have a lot of stuff, so I thought it would be good for you."

James watched as Steven handed him the items, but he backed away instead.

"You shouldn't give that to me," James declared.

"It's okay," Steven insisted, "I have extra."

"No, I mean I can't have that," James corrected.

Steven stared at James in confusion. "What? Why not?"

James bit his lip and looked away. "People like me aren't suppose to have nice things."

Steven was taken aback by the response. What did he mean by that? James seemed like a good person. Did he do something wrong? Steven placed the items down before putting his hand on James' right arm.

"You wanna talk about it?" Steven asked, "Talking about stuff helps."

"No," James answered, "Just…,"

Steven stared at James with sympathy before an idea formed in his head. "I know!"

James felt Steven let go of him, which kind of upset him, before the child rummaged through the Lion's mane. Okay, what was up with this kid?

"I got some cards," Steven said as he pulled a deck out of Lion's mane, "And there's a bunch of stuff here. We could probably have some fun with that."

"I…shouldn't you head back home?" James asked, trying to divert Steven away from him.

"Well the gems are on a mission right now and they don't really need me for that one," Steven explained, "Connie has school, and my dad has the car wash."

"Your spending the entire day by yourself?" James questioned.

"Well not by myself," Steven retorted, "I have Lion!"

James looked at the feline who was now resting on the wood floor.

"Steven, you shouldn't do that," James stated.

"It'll be fun," Steven smiled as he sat down, "C'mon, I'll teach you how to play some games."

James hesitated. He shouldn't be around this kid. He was putting him in danger. The kid didn't seem to understand that he was in danger and he was staying regardless.

_"This isn't a back alley. This is war."_

James sighed. If this kid was anything like the man on the bridge, he wasn't going to back out easily.

"One game only," James stated.  
\-----------------------------------------------------------------------  
They ended up playing more than expected. James tried to say no, but Steven kept pulling out those stupid puppy dog eyes. The Winter Soldier: brought down by puppy eyes.

This has to stop.

"Steven, you need to go home," James declared as he took the cards and stacked them together neatly.

"C'mon, let's play another," Steven insisted.

"I mean it," James hissed.

Steven quickly backed off. "Um…do you still want the blanket and pillow? It is a little cold up here."

James looked down at the two items before sighing. "It's pointless for me to have this."

"Why?" Steven asked.

"Because I'm not human," James mumbled, turning around and hunching his back.

Steven was completely heartbroken. How could he say something like that about himself? His eyes were filled with determination as he grabbed the blanket and draped it over James. James looked down at the blanket in surprise before staring at Steven.

"You seem pretty human to me," Steven smiled, "Besides, anyone who knows about not being human is me."

James was bewildered at the response. The child, despite having a gem as a belly button, was more human than he will ever be. It made him feel...happy?

"I guess I'll go home," Steven proclaimed, "The gems are probably back at the temple."

"Okay," James quietly said.

"Can I meet up with you again tomorrow?" Steven asked.

"Okay," James answered.

Steven smiled. "Thank you. I'll see you around."

James watched as Steven hopped onto Lion's back and wrapped out of the barn. James sighed before grabbing the pillow and fluffing it before laying down on it. He took off his hat and clutched the blanket closer to himself before falling asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I recently got pokemon go and its fucking addictive. I just hatched a Gastly and I find it cool how the gas spills on to the next info of the other pokemon.  
> Anyway, I don't want Steven finding out just yet about Bucky's mental health. Steven finds out in a few chapters about Bucky's mental problems, but he doesn't know how bad it is to an extent. And since Steven can incept people's dreams, I was thinking Steven finds out the hard way.  
> I do have a question; however: should Bucky meet the rest of the Crystal Gems in the next chapter?  
> Let me know in the comment section below and good night.


	4. Company

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> James has a nightmare and Steven finds a solution to the aftermath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not going to be able to update until December due to college so…see you until then.  
> None of these characters belong to me and please comment.

_It was cold._

_He was cold._

_He was in the chair again. They were going to wipe him again. He followed every order; he didn't want to get wiped again!_

_He remembered struggling. Struggling in the chair, the shocks, he kept screaming his head off. The ice. The cryo. They were going to put him back. He didn't want to go back. He didn't want to be cold. He didn't want to be alone!_

_Someone save him!_

_Help! Help! HELP!_  
\--------------------------------------------------------

"James! James!" Steven shouted as he shook James by the shoulders.

Steven came in the morning to the barn to find that James was still asleep, and decided not to bother him. He was relaxing with lion for a while until he heard James mumbling in his sleep. Steven walked over and saw that he was sweating and rolling around. Steven began to panic and started shaking James awake, but nothing was working.

"James! James, wake up! It's a nightmare! You're okay!" Steven exclaimed.

Steven saw James' eyes snap open before throwing a punch with his left arm. Steven gasped before forming a bubble, but the force of the punch threw Steven, causing him to slam into the wall. Steven fell on his face and the bubble dispersed. 

Steven sat up and rubbed his head and saw Lion separating him from James. Steven saw that James hair was a mess and that he had a feral look in his eyes. James managed to came down and look at the damage done to the barn. He saw Steven's face full of concern while his Lion was ready to kill him.

Oh God, what did he do?

"James, are you okay?" Steven asked.

James immediately crawled away from Steven out of fear.

"James, it's okay. You didn't-"

"Get out," James ordered as he covered his eyes and gritted his teeth.

"But-"

"Out!" James yelled.

Steven whimpered as Lion grabbed Steven by his teeth and ran off.  
\-----------------------------------------------------------------------

"Oh my goodness! Steven, what happened to you?!" Pearl exclaimed as Lion brought Steven inside the house.

"Nothing. I just…ran into a wall," Steven lied, earning a growl from Lion.

"Well it doesn't look like a wall!" Pearl retorted, "You know what: it doesn't matter; I need to get the band aids."

Pearl ran into her room to get the first aid kit when Garnet warped back with a bubbled gem floating in her hand. She saw Steven sit on the couch with a sad expression on his face before sending the bubbled gem into her room.

"Steven, what's wrong?" she asked as she sat down next to the hybrid gem.

"Nothing," Steven answered.

"You're upset, Steven," Garnet declared, "And I don't need future vision to see why."

"It's just…I made a friend last week and he seemed nice, but when I went to see him this morning he was having a bad dream. He reacted badly and told me to leave," Steven explained, "Garnet, he was so scared and I don't know why."

Garnet hummed at Steven response. "Steven, you know that Pearl and I fought in a war, right?"

Steven nodded his head.

"And we were the only ones that survived,"

Steven nodded his head again.

"We didn't leave coming out as the same person again," Garnet continued, "Sometimes we would be…bothered by battles and would sometimes feel guilty."

"But you were protecting Earth," Steven retorted.

"True," Garnet agreed, "But sometimes we wouldn't know if it was right or wrong at certain points. Even your mother had her doubts. My point is; however, is that your friend is going through something like that."

"So how can I help him?" Steven asked.

Garnet chuckled. "Are you sure? Helping others with this kind of problem is pretty tricky."

"I'm willing to do it," Steven smiled.

"Alright," Garnet smiled, "Just start off simple and talk to him, okay? Don't pressure him into talking about things he doesn't want to talk about."

Steven nodded his head.

"And one more thing: you should take your ukulele with you," Garnet added.

"Why would I need that?" Steven asked.

Before Garnet could reply, Pearl exited her room and walked over to Steven with the first aid kit. Garnet watched as Pearl knelt down and began to tend to Steven's bruises.   
Garnet knew who the man was, and that him staying here may lead to some serious trouble. But he needed help, and Steven may be the key to his problem.  
But for some reason, in every outcome of her future vision, she always ended up seeing a man with a striped, round shield called Steve Rogers.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------

Steven put the ukulele on his back while Lion gave Steven a disapproving look.

"Lion, come on!" Steven whined, "You gotta help me."

Lion huffed and turned away.

"Please, buddy?" Steven asked, "Please don't break my heart. You are my favorite lion."

Lion gave him a look that said 'I'm you're only lion'.

"Please help me," Steven begged, "I'll buy you an entire box worth of Lion Lickers."

Lion seemed to be invested in his deal, but merely turned away.

"How about two?" Steven bargained.

Lion thought about it for a moment before turning to Steven and kneeling on the ground.

"Thank you," Steven smiled and hopped on Lion's back.

\---------------------------------------------------------------  
James couldn't focus.

He was curled up in a ball in one of the corners of the barn. He ended up breaking down after Steven left and wasn't really able to focus after that. He was trapped in his own mind. He promised himself that he wouldn't kill or harm anyone, yet he almost hurt Steven. The kid was just trying to be nice and he almost killed him!

James clutched his hair and pulled. How stupid he is, how foolish he is!....How monster-like he is.

"James," a voice called out.

James' head shot up and he raised his fist. He recognized that it was Steven when he formed that pink bubble that protected him.

Steven noticed the bubble was up and panicked. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to put the bubble up!"

"No, keep it up," James said, "I…I don't want to hurt you again."

"But…what you did was a complete accident," Steven explained, "I can't blame you for that."

"Steven, I nearly tried to kill you," James retorted.

"Don't worry, I get into danger all the time when I'm with the gems," Steven reassured.

"That's not reassuring," James retorted, "Anyway, Steven, you need to go."

"I can't just leave," Steven retorted.

"You have to," James declared.

"But you're hurting!" Steven exclaimed.

"And that's my issue to deal with," 

"You can't struggle with this on your own!" Steven cried.

"You don't even know what I have to deal with,"

"But-!"

"Damn it, Steve! Stop putting yourself in danger!" James shouted.

Steven was taken aback and Lion ran into the barn and growled at the soldier.

James took a deep breath before curling on his side. "Go home. I can't accept your help."

Steven looked at James with pity before rolling over to him and sitting down. "You wanna talk about it?"

James tensed before glancing at Steven. He wasn't given a choice. What if he said no? What would happen? Why was he over thinking this? He's a child!

"No," he answered.

Steven smiled. "That's okay if you don't want to talk about it right now. You wanna do something to get your mind off of it?"

Steven noticed James curled in on himself even more, so he pulled the ukulele off his back and tuned it.

"What are you doing?" James demanded.

"I thought listening to music might help," Steven answered, "Got a request."

"…I don't know," James admitted, "I don't remember the last time I listened to music."

"We really have to do something about that," Steven remarked. "What would you like to listen to?"

James sat up and looked at Steven as he pondered over it.

"I think I'll just play something random," Steven answered, "Do you just want music? I can do vocal."

"Music is just fine," James mumbled.

Steven smiled as he began to play his ukulele. James listened to the soft music play and rested his head against the wall.

It was soothing to say at the very least. It was calming and peaceful. He's never heard anything like this before. At least he doesn't think so. As far as he remembered, the music he listened to before Hydra was very…fast and loud. And Hydra wouldn't allow him to indulge in anything. This was nice and peaceful and he felt like he could sleep.

James noticed Steven stopped playing and the child looked up at him.

"That was…nice," James admitted.

Steven smiled as stars appeared in his eyes again. James questions how he's able to do that.

"Yes!" Steven cheered, "Do you want me to play more?"

James thought about it. "…okay."

Steven's smile grew bigger as he played some more.

James was able to become slightly comfortable in Steven's presence later on, allowing Steven to drop the bubble. James still kept his distance, but he wasn't as tense as before. And James was experiencing something for the first time in over seventy years:

Enjoying someone's company.


	5. Welcome to my humble home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven invites Bucky into his home and he gets a taste of what Steven's life is like.

James hasn't seen Steven in a couple of days, and needless to say, he was a little upset. Sure, it gave him time to think and try to recover more of his memories. But he felt…lonely. 

Steven was there when he wasn't even talking with him; he came by and wasn't even concerned for his safety.  
He reminded him of Steve…at least he thinks.

James sighed as he leaned against the wall of the barn. He needed to find a way to sort out the memories in his head.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------

Steven warped to the barn with his ukulele on his back before walking over. Lion currently wasn't available and the gems were busy again, so he thought he would go see how James was doing. 

Steven arrived at the door and raised an eyebrow in confusion as he saw James rummaging through the pile of items.

"James?" Steven spoke.

James stopped rummaging through the items and turned to see Steven. "You're back."

"Sorry," Steven apologized, "I had a mission with the gems, found my mom's sword and Pearl almost let me die."

"What?" Bucky gaped.

"It's been a rough couple of days," Steven sighed, "What about you? What have you been doing?"

"Sorting items," James answered. He really did not want to tell him why, "Been trying to occupy my time."

"Have you been sleeping?" Steven asked with concern.

James sighed. "Not really."

Steven looked at James with sadness before an idea popped into his head. "You could come over to my place."

"That's not a good idea," James dejected.

"I don't think sleeping in a barn is a good idea either," Steven admitted, "I could get a makeshift bed or you could sleep on the couch in my place. And you also need a shower."

James raised an eyebrow before looking down at his clothes and his flesh hand. He did need to freshen up.

"I still think it's a little too generous," James admitted, "I told you: I'm not the person you should be nice to."

Steven smiled regardless and took James' flesh hand. "Well, I think that you're a nice person, and I think that you would like some company."

James blinked before turning away from Steven. He was damn adorable.

"Okay, I'll come," James said, "But it's going to be a walk for you from here to Beach City."

"No problem!" Steven smiled as he pulled James. The soldier managed to grab his back pack before Steven brought to the warp pad.

"Tada!" Steven gestured to the warp pad.

"How is this going to work?" James questioned.

Steven hopped on the warp pad. "If you get on, I'll show you."

James looked down at the pad before taking a step back. "I don't trust it."

"Don't worry. It's completely safe for both humans and gems," Steven declared as he held out his hand for James to take.

James hesitated for a moment before letting out a small breath. He was going to regret this. James took Steven's hand and stepped onto the warp pad.

"First time is a little difficult to adjust to," Steven warned as he held out his other hand.

James was about to speak up, but gasped as a blue light surrounded them. He noticed he wasn't touching the ground and closed his eyes out of fear. He felt himself stumble on the warp pad as Steven held him upright. He opened his eyes to find he was not at the barn, but in the inside of Steven's home.

"Welcome to my house," Steven said as he guided James off the warp pad. 

James stumbled a moment before he found his footing. He looked around to see that his home was…rather normal. He saw a kitchen, couch, bed. James looked up to see the picture of a curvy woman with big curly hair and a rose quartz on her stomach.

"So this is where you live?" James asked.

"Yep," Steven smiled.

"So…then where do your caretakers sleep?" James asked. He still wasn't comfortable calling whoever his caretakers were his moms.

"Oh they stay in the temple," Steven answered as he pointed behind him.

James turned to see a door with a star on it and five different gems. One of them being the rose quartz on Steven and the woman's stomach.

"The gems don't really need to sleep; they just do whatever or go on night missions," Steven added, "I'll get you some bath supplies so you can take a shower. You can sit on the couch."

James simply complied while Steven went to the bathroom. The soldier put his backpack on the ground and began to analyze the room. There was more than one way out at the very least. But he didn't know exactly what Steven's caretakers were. Were they aliens? Lab experiments?

James shook his head. He needs to stop. He needs to stop acting like an assassin.

"James, I have the stuff ready," Steven called out as he came out of the bathroom.

James got up and followed Steven inside to see the towels on the rack next to the shower with a pink t-shirt and jeans on the toilet.

"Soap is over there. I also have some shampoo and conditioner if you want to wash your hair. Shampoo goes first then wash it, then you use conditioner," Steven explained, "Just turned the two knobs for hot and cold and there's some lotion on the sin. Need anything else."

James looked down at the t-shirt and noticed is was a short sleeved. "Do you have any long sleeved shirts?"

"No, not really," Steven answered, "I do have a jacket. Do you want me to bring it?"

James nodded his head. 

"Okay. Just give me a second and I'll get it. You can start taking the shower," Steven said as he ran out the bathroom.

When Steven was out the bathroom, James quickly shed his clothes and placed them as neatly as he could before getting in the shower and closing the curtains. He looked down as his bionic hand and grimaced. If he didn't have this stupid thing, he wouldn't have to hide from so many others.

James sighed to himself and looked down at the knobs. He gently turned both of them, not wanting to use his super strength to break anything.

"James, I'm coming in," Steven called out as he opened the door. He placed the jacket next to the new set of clothes.

"James, I'm going to wash your other clothes, okay?" Steven said.

"Can you check if there's anything from the pockets?" James asked.

"No problem," Steven answered as he picked up the clothes and walked out of the bathroom.

\--------------------------------------------------------------

Steven warped to the washing machines on one of the hands of the statue. He began checking the pockets of the pants and jacket for any items James might have left in there. Steven didn't find anything in the pants, so he placed them in the washing machine along with the red shirt. He checked the pockets of the jacket until he felt a string of metal with a sheet of paper.

He pulled it out to see it was a dog tag necklace with the picture of a man with a helmet and a blue uniform. Steven raised an eyebrow, but didn't think much of it as he placed it in his pocket. He put the jacket and socks in the washer before picking up the single glove. 

That he was curious about. Why did James only have one glove? Matter of fact, why did James where such heavy clothes when it was almost summer? 

Steven decided to ignore it and placed the glove in the machine. He put the detergent before turning on the machine.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

James finished washing his hair and body before turning off the faucet to the shower. He pushed the curtains of the shower and grabbed the towel to dry himself off. He dried his body and started patting his face when he looked at the scars on his shoulder in the mirror.

He tried not to think about it: that disgusting arm Hydra gave him. The thing that he killed people with, innocent people. James grabbed the comb with his flesh hand and started combing the knots out of his hair. 

Sometimes he'd tell himself that it wasn't his fault; that he didn't mean to kill those people, but he still did it. When he was under Hydra, he would had fragments of humanity and remember briefs instances, but he would never break free from their control. Because he feared dying, because he was a coward, he killed others!

James slammed the comb on the sink, leaving small cracks. James quickly grabbed a towel and placed it over the damage he made. He looked at his left shoulder once again and touched the scars there. He already took out the tracking device logged in there, but he wished that he could tear the damn thing off so that no one else could see it.

Wait…where was his glove?

James turned to the closed toilet and only saw the new clothes Steven gave him.

Shit. Shit! Shit! How the hell did he miss that?! Steven was going to see the arm. He was going to figure out who he was.

James ran to the clothes and saw that the jeans had pockets. Good. At the very least, he could keep his hands in his pockets until he got his glove back. But how long would that be? 

James sighed in irritation. He's a trained assassin; he just had to make due.

\-------------------------------------------------

Steven was cooking some beef stew when he heard the bathroom door open. He smiled when he saw James looking cleaner and in a fresh set of new clothes.

"You feel better?" Steven asked.

Steven heard James mumble 'yes'. He noticed James looking down at his backpack on the couch and picking it up when he remembered the dog tag necklace and picture.

"Oh, James, I found these in your jacket," Steven informed as he pulled the items out of his pocket.

James walked over and hesitated, but took the items with his right hand and putting it in his pocket. 

"I should go back to the barn," James spoke.

"Don't go," Steven pleaded, "I made lunch; it's beef stew. And I don't know if you're eating enough, so you know."

"I've gone without food for a long time," James retorted, "I'll be fine."

"James, you're not a gem. You're human," Steven declared as he stopped stirring, "And as a human, you need to and deserve to eat. You shouldn't hurt yourself like this."

James was startled by the words coming out of the boy's mouth as he grabbed a bowl. Steven took the spoon and poured the contents in the bowl before handing it to James.   
James took the bowl and gently set it on the table when Steven handed him a spoon. James took a deep breath and held the spoon as gently as possible before taking a chair and sitting down. 

James looked down at the stew before looking at Steven, who was gesturing for him to try it. James picked at it a little before taking a spoonful and tasting it.

It was…really delicious. It was spicy and flavorful and warm. He could taste the other ingredients in the recipe. He hasn't had anything like this in years. He…

"James, are you okay?" Steven asked with concern, "You're crying."

James touched his cheek with his right hand noticed the tears. When was the last time he cried? Why was he crying over something as insignificant as food? Why was he crying when he was trained not to?

"Sorry," James apologized as he wiped away the tears with his sleeve, "I didn't mean-I don't know why-"

"Do you want to talk about it?" Steven asked.

James shook his head as he continued eating. He didn't want to talk about his problems.

Steven looked in sadness before pouring some stew for himself and sitting next to James and eating as well. They didn't talk; they just ate in silence. And it was awkward for the both of them.

"You know…you can talk to me about anything you want, okay?" Steven spoke.

James stopped eating. "You don't need to hear them; you wouldn't want to."

"I wouldn't mind," Steven said.

"If I did talk, then you wouldn't look at me like I'm a good person," James retorted as he looked away and continued eating.

Steven was about to retort, but stopped to think about James' response. It sounded way too familiar. When Amethyst took him to the Kindergarten, when she and Pearl fought, when he saw Amethyst become truly vulnerable and start crying.

"I wouldn't think of you any different," Steven declared with confidence.

"You don't know that," James retorted.

"Yes I do," Steven said as he gave a determined smile.

James sighed as he placed the spoon in the now empty bowl. Steven noticed and took both his and James' bowl, placing it in the sink. 

"I'm going to check if your clothes are dry," Steven informed, "Do you want to come?"

"Yeah," James answered. He needed his glove back.

\----------------------------------------------------------------

Steven held James' right hand as they warped to the hand of the gem statue. James still wasn't comfortable using the damn thing and immediately got off. Steven walked over to the washing machine and saw that the clothes were done. He opened the washer and dryer before transferring the clothes.

"It's not safe for you to be doing laundry up here," James remarked.

"I do it all the time," Steven retorted as he turned on the dryer, "So your clothes should be done in forty minutes. What do you want to do until then?"

James looked out towards the beach and sat down on the hand, letting his feet dangle on the edge. Steven decided to sit next to him and keep him company.

James wouldn't mind. He wouldn't mind jumping off of here and end his life. It wouldn't be so bad of a death. He tensed when he felt Steven lean on his arm. His left arm.

"Sometimes I forget how nice it is up here," Steven admitted, "Do you think it's nice?"

"…yeah," James admitted, "Um…Steven, can you sit up please?"

"Okay," Steven answered as he sat up and noticed James' left hand was still in his pocket, "Is there something wrong with your arm?" 

James hesitated in answering. He couldn't tell him that it was metal; that would blow his cover. Think of something else.

"It's…a bad scar," James said lightly, "I don't like talking about it."

"I'm sorry," Steven apologized, "Does it…still hurt?"

James sighed. "Not that much."

Steven wanted to comfort the man, but he didn't know how at the moment. Maybe getting his mind off of it might help. He looked up and noticed that there were still bags under James' eyes.

"James, do you want to take a nap?" Steven asked.

"No," He answered.

"But you said you weren't getting enough sleep," Steven recalled.

"I don't want to go back to sleep," James said, "Can't deal with the dreams."

Steven huffed before standing up and holding out his hand. "C'mon, I'll help you."

James slightly stiffened. It sounded a little like an order. He wanted to say no, he really did, but the conditioning kicked in as James took Steven's hand and allowed him to be led back inside.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Steven fluffed up the pillow before placing it on the couch.

"Steven, I don't know if this is going to help," James admitted.

"We don't know until we try," Steven declared, "Just try, please?"

James hesitated. He didn't want to. "What if something happens and I hurt you like last time?"

"I'll be fine," Steven answered, "I can defend myself. What matters is that I help you get better,"

James quietly sighed before sitting on the couch. "It's…too soft."

"Really? Do you want me to get you something else to help?" Steven asked.

James shook his head and laid down with his back facing Steven, giving him an opportunity to cover his left arm a little better. But he was still…uncomfortable. He was trying to adjust his positioning, but trying to be comfortable and hiding his arm from Steven was proving to be difficult. He tensed when he felt a blanket cover his body.

"I'll be here reading, just let me know if you need anything," Steven said.

"Wait," James spoke as he sat up, "Can you read aloud? I…just want to know that someone is still here."

Steven smiled, "Sure."

Steven grabbed his book and sat down next to James before he began to read aloud. James tucked himself further into the sheets as he listened to Steven's voice. It was okay. He was okay. He was safe for right now. He could sleep.

James squeezed his eyes shut. If only it was easy to fall asleep. James continued to focus on Steven's voice. Focus on the single thing. That may get him tired.   
It felt like an hour passed, and James' eyelids grew heavy and he actually fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: I know I said I'd be posting in December, but I had some time today. So here's how I'm planning to do for the plotline of the story right now:  
> -Bucky meets the gems or maybe one of them.  
> -Bucky meets Greg  
> -The wailing stone incident happens  
> -Then the homeworld gems come with their giant hand.  
> So none of these characters belong to me and please comment.


	6. This is awkward

Pearl warped into the house before sending the corrupted gem she caught into her room. She walked over to the kitchen, feeling the need to make herself some tea when she caught something out of the corner of her eye. She saw that there was a male human on the couch with brown hair and a blanket over his body. Pearl wasn't able to see his face because his back was facing her, and his presence…caused her to be concerned.

The gem quietly stepped back and walked over to the door of the temple sanctum in order to get Garnet.  
\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
"I'm not even sure if he broke in," Pearl explained to the taller gem.

"Did you try waking him up?" Garnet whispered as she leaned against the kitchen counter.

"No," Pearl answered, "Even if I do, I don't know how he's going to react. Thankfully, Steven's out of the house, so we don't have to worry about his safety."

Garnet hummed in response as she adjusted her glasses. This was James Buchanan Barnes, the friend that Steven made and the one that had issues sleeping. Meaning that if they woke him up, he could possibly lash out and cause some serious damage with his metal arm.

The two gems heard the front door open as Steven came in with a bag of donuts.

"Hey guys," Steven greeted with a smile.

"Steven, could you please stay outside?" Pearl asked as she walked over to him.

"Why?" Steven asked.

Pearl gestured to the man's sleeping form. She slightly tensed as the man shifted on the couch.

"Oh, that's James," Steven smiled, "He's the one I've been hanging out with."

"Steven, why did you bring him here?" Pearl demanded.

"He said he wasn't getting enough sleep at the barn, so I brought him over," Steven explained, "He doesn't…really have anywhere else to go."

Pearl sighed as she placed her hands on Steven's shoulders. "Steven, I understand your trying to be nice, but you barely know who this man is."

"I've been talking to him for about a week," Steven shrugged.

The door to the temple opened as Amethyst casually walked into the room. She noticed Pearl's concerned expression and Garnet's serious face.

"What's up with you guys?" Amethyst asked before noticing James' sleeping form. "Hey! You're the dude who threw me in the water!"

"What?!" Pearl exclaimed.

"Amethyst!" Garnet hissed.

But it was too late. James' eyes snapped open and he shot up from the couch. He warily eyed all three of them as he seemed to make sure the blanket was covering his left hand.

"So much for being subtle," Garnet remarked.

"Amethyst, what do you mean he threw you into the water?" Pearl demanded.

"Amethyst snuck up behind him and he reacted by throwing her into the water," Steven explained.

"Amethyst!" Pearl exclaimed.

"It was a joke!" Amethyst retorted.

Steven walked over to James and sat down next to him as Pearl and Amethyst continued to bicker. The gem noticed him still eyeing Garnet.

"Hey, it's okay," Steven reassured, "They protect people. They don't harm anyone."

James seemed to loosen up a bit, but he still eyed Garnet. She was the only one that hasn't done anything thus far, and it made him uneasy.

"Howdy," Garnet greeted.

"That's Garnet, and those two are Amethyst and Pearl," Steven introduced as he pointed to each of them.

"And I apologize for Amethyst's rude behavior," Pearl declared.

James sat quietly as he watched Amethyst grab something from the fridge before walking back into the temple. The ex-assassin felt a tug on his sleeve and saw Steven handing him a plain donut.

"I thought you'd want something to eat when you woke up," Steven explained.

James took the donut with his right hand while realizing he still didn't have his glove. Shit! It must have still been cleaning when he fell asleep.

"Steven, my…glove," James mumbled, loud enough for Steven to hear.

"Oh right. Your clothes," Steven remembered as he snapped his fingers, "They should be done drying; I'll go get it."

James watched as Steven walked over to the warp pad and teleported to the washing machine. James felt uneasy as he realized that he was alone with Pearl and Garnet.

James wanted to sink further into the couch and out of existence. He knew nothing about these two. He didn't know how powerful they were, or even if he could be fast enough to escape him. Pearl looked harmless, but James knew better than to judge a book by its cover. But Garnet was…stoic. He couldn't get a read on her at all and it irked him. And it wasn't just because she wore glasses. He could figure out what people were thinking with or without him.

James mentally sighed. Damn Hydra for making him so paranoid.

"So what bring you to Beach City?" Garnet asked.

James tensed. "I…just needed time to think."

"You don't have any ill intention, do you?" Pearl asked with a stern voice.

James straighten himself out and shook his head. Okay, he had to watch out for Pearl as well.

"Pearl, he doesn't want to hurt anyone," Garnet reassured, "It's okay."

"Well, he's not exactly a familiar face," Pearl retorted.

James began feeling even more uneasy. They were talking about him like he wasn't there. That made him feel like he didn't matter. It made sense They didn't know him and they had to take care of Steven.

James heard the familiar sound of the warp pad and saw Steven walking towards him with his basket of clean clothes. Steven set them on the couch and handed James his glove. James quietly said 'thank you' as he put the glove on under the blanket Steven gave him. Pearl noticed this and raised an eyebrow as James flexed his left hand.

"It's a scar," Garnet whispered to Pearl.

Pearl simply nodded her head in understanding. She was aware that humans may not be able to fully regenerate wounds.

She sighed. "I'll head back into my room."

"We'll need to go on a mission later," Garnet informed as Pearl's door open and closed behind her.

"Steven, I want to go back to the barn," James requested.

"What?" Steven said, "But-"

"Steven, James just needs a little bit of space," Garnet reassured before looking at James, "But you are welcome to come back at anytime."

"Um…thank you," James said.

"You're welcome," Garnet smiled before stretching and walking back to her room, "Just don't forget anything."

Steven held James' hand as they warped back to the barn. James took the remainder of his clothes that wouldn't fit in his bag and walked towards the abandoned building.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay at my place?" Steven asked as James set his stuff on the ground.

"I'll be alright," James answered, "Besides, I'm a stranger to you. I shouldn't be taking up so much space."

"Well, I don't think you're a stranger," Steven proclaimed, "I think you're a friend."

James looked at Steven before sighing. "Steve, you can't be so trusting with other people. That can get you killed."

"Steve?" Steven raised an eyebrow.

"Steven," James quickly corrected as he turned around and covered his mouth, "A force of habit. Didn't mean to. It won't happen again."

"James, it's fine," Steven reassured, "You can call me Steve or Steven. It's just a nickname."

"I'm just sticking with Steven," James declared. The man looked out towards the horizon and saw the sun setting, "You should go home. It's almost night time."

"Oh, okay," Steven said, "Can we hang out tomorrow? We can just go down to the beach or something."

James hesitated before nodding his head, causing Steven to smile.

"Great! We can warp there and-"

"Can we walk instead?" James asked. James realized his mistake of asking for something he wanted and covered his mouth, "Sorry. We can warp. It's just-"

"It's okay," Steven reassured as he held James' right hand, "We can walk there if you don't feel comfortable on the warp pad."

James felt himself relax, allowing Steven to let go of his hand. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. Well, I'll see you tomorrow," Steven waved.

James watched as Steven ran back to the warp pad and warped back to his home. James looked down at his gloved hand and sighed. At the very least, Steven doesn't know about his arm. But he should do his best to avoid Steven's caretakers. He felt like they were on to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, the chapter's a little short, but Bucky is avoiding the crystal gems because he does have a feeling that something is off about them. Garnet know who he is, Pearl is a little suspicious, mainly for Steven's safety, and Amethyst is somewhat holding a grudge against him for throwing her into the water. Now the next chapters will be:
> 
> Bucky meets Greg  
> Wailing Stone  
> Homeworld Gem invasion.
> 
> And I have a question: Should Steven and Bucky fuse? If so, what should their fusion name be?
> 
> Please leave a comment and Merry Christmas. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm heading off to the mountains to become one with the Lord.


End file.
